evieshields5's review
5.0
read this for an english class, it is some of the most beautiful fiction i have ever come across
heresthepencil's review
4.0
me for the last year or more: do i even like fantasy anymore ??
me now, whispering: u fool, u coward, u were just waiting for this story of gay gods
me now, whispering: u fool, u coward, u were just waiting for this story of gay gods
kaa's review
4.0
Available to read online starting at https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2018/10/between-the-firmaments-by-jy-yang-part-one.html
jakegray's review
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Complex, arresting characters in a fascinating world. Highly recommended.
teabooksart's review
3.0
3.5/5 I was torn between a 3 and a 4 - 3 usually denotes books I enjoyed but didn't feel any particularly strong connection towards and 4 is that "almost perfect but not quite 5/5" material. This "book" I read in three parts from TheBookSmuggler's online release and while part 1 I felt was interesting from a world-building standpoint it didn't grab me as much as I expected considering the content. Having just finished "The Ascent to Godhood" the writing style in this is surprisingly different too and I suspect that caused a bit of whiplash. That being said, I really loved the final part of the book and the final bits of worldbuilding. Truthfully, I really would love to read about what happened after the end as well!
suzig's review
3.0
I had a little trouble with the beginning, I felt like it started out feeling like a bit like fanfiction, but still good fanfiction. But then I got drawn into the story and the emotions and ended up staying up past my bedtime and reading the whole thing in one sitting. The emotions were heavier than I expected, I cried through a good deal of it. By the end it felt more like a myth or a fable than the simple story it felt like at the start. I plan to explore more of JY Yang’s work.
joannerixon's review
4.0
J Y Yang's writing is always beautiful, and this novella about gods and imperialism and power exchange is unique and lovely.
Yang is a hard writer for me to review. Like them, I'm queer and genderqueer, and so I always have this forlorn hope that I'll see myself in their stories. Unfortunately, its not that simple. We're different kinds of queer, and this novella shows that rather starkly. I was bored by the power play and a little weirded out by talk of one person owning another--even as gods who are cosmic, divine hunters and hunting hounds. It was interesting, but it didn't grab me by the heart.
However, I liked it well enough, and thought other aspects of the story were really vivid and well done, and I think many people will really love it.
I got the eBook for free as a supporter of Yang's patreon, which also gets you access to short stories and story notes and such, and if you do like the kinkier parts of BETWEEN THE FIRMAMENTS, I strongly recommend becoming a supporter on their Patreon. It's rare to find kinky, queer stories written to a high literary standard, because almost nowhere publishes that kind of thing--and you can get that from Yang. So. That's a lot of fun.
Yang is a hard writer for me to review. Like them, I'm queer and genderqueer, and so I always have this forlorn hope that I'll see myself in their stories. Unfortunately, its not that simple. We're different kinds of queer, and this novella shows that rather starkly. I was bored by the power play and a little weirded out by talk of one person owning another--even as gods who are cosmic, divine hunters and hunting hounds. It was interesting, but it didn't grab me by the heart.
However, I liked it well enough, and thought other aspects of the story were really vivid and well done, and I think many people will really love it.
I got the eBook for free as a supporter of Yang's patreon, which also gets you access to short stories and story notes and such, and if you do like the kinkier parts of BETWEEN THE FIRMAMENTS, I strongly recommend becoming a supporter on their Patreon. It's rare to find kinky, queer stories written to a high literary standard, because almost nowhere publishes that kind of thing--and you can get that from Yang. So. That's a lot of fun.
ablativeabsolute's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
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